- The UK Committee of Advertising Practice issued an Advice Note to gambling operators to make sure they are following rules regarding esports betting advertisements.
- UK government worried underage users are being targeted by gambling adverts.
LONDON – The U.K. has become increasingly stern in how to handle advertising in regards to gambling and sports betting as of late. Although, these measures aren’t just limited to traditional sports and television advertising.
In accordance with the tightening of advertising regulation being put into action during the current lockdown, the UK Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) has published an official Advice Notice to all Great Britain gambling companies regarding advertising on social media for their esports betting services.
In the notice, the regulatory body is emphasizing that all these companies must comply with all regulations regarding advertising for esports betting. Specifically, they’re asking companies to not directly advertise their gambling platforms to underage customers.
Through the nature of esports, the fanbase is much younger than the populous of any other sport. The CAP is worried that these certain companies are using esports social media, and esports influencers, to market their betting systems.
The CAP is worried that these posts being made by major UK esports competitors on their social media profiles are directly aimed at underage users.
In the UK, the legal age for gambling is 18. But the age of those viewing esports social media content is often below that.
The CAP is reminding the advertisers of strict rules that they must follow when placing these ads:
No gambling ads are allowed to be made with the intention of appealing to those under 18 years old.
Ads are not allowed to feature content likely to be of appeal to children or young persons or use influences with a specific underage appeal or fanbase. An example of this would be ads featuring cartoon characters, fairy tales, etc.
Ads are not allowed to feature any person under the age of 25 engaging in anything related to the act of gambling. This is being heavily emphasized given the average age of esports players.
Due to the nature of esports, this is a complex issue. Many esports athletes themselves are not of legal gambling age, and much of the fanbase also follows below this threshold.
As esports becomes more and more popular, the global infrastructure surrounding the sport and legal sports betting will likely continue to evolve as well.